Former Everton winger Andros Townsend has said that the inconsistent nature of the points deductions given out makes a ‘mockery’ of the Premier League.
It was confirmed on Monday that the Toffees have been docked a further two points for a second charge of breaching the Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). That has been added to the six points deducted from the side earlier in the season for a breach in a previous season.
That six-point deduction was originally 10 points, but Everton got it reduced on appeal. The club have confirmed plans to appeal against the latest deduction.
The process, therefore, may not be finished before the final game of the season on May 19. It means teams such as Luton and Nottingham Forest, who themselves are appealing against a four-point deduction, and Everton may be unsure of their Premier League status even after the final ball of the campaign is kicked.
As things stand, Everton are in 16th position, two points ahead of Luton Town in 18th and Nottingham Forest in 17th. The situation is being watched closely by the Hatters, with Luton’s former Everton man, Townsend, delivering a strong verdict on what is going on.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen with appeals,” he told BBC Radio 5Live’s Monday Night Club.
“We were probably celebrating when Everton got 10 points taken off them and then they got four given back and we’re back in the relegation zone. So we take out the deductions to take away the confusion and we’ll see at the end of the season.
“I think it makes a mockery of the Premier League. When you announce the charge, you have to be certain of the points deduction.”
Townsend believes that clubs, including Everton, underestimated the punishment that would be handed out for a breach of the rules.
He said: “Everton would have known they weren’t going to be inside that £105m debt mark because they spent £30m in the summer.
“They spent that knowing they weren’t going to make this £105m target. I think clubs just thought it would be a fine and a slap on the wrists and get on with it.
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